A large group of Stanford University students rallied Thursday to
support a female undergraduate who has publically criticized the
school's sexual assault policies after she was a victim of rape
earlier this year.

Stanford senior Leah Francis' account of navigating the
university administration after reporting a sexual assault by
another student — and their seemingly lenient ruling after he was
found guilty — is quickly making its way around campus as a viral
email,
student newspaper The Stanford Daily reports. According to
documents obtained by The Daily, the university found Francis'
rapist guilty of forced sexual assault.

"His punishment was a five-quarter suspension, 40 hours of
community service and completion of a sexual assault awareness
program. However, the suspension does not take effect until
summer 2014 and includes summer quarters, so Francis’ assailant,
a member of the Class of 2014, can graduate on time and return in
a year for graduate school," according to The Daily.

Additionally, Francis told the newspaper that her rapist was
initially going to be allowed to walk during the university's
Commencement, which was reversed after she complained to
Stanford's Title IX coordinator.

Five months ago, I was forcibly raped by another Stanford
student. I reported the sexual assault at the beginning of Winter
quarter and then I proceeded to go through the ARP (Alternative
Review Process). Months later, the student who raped me was found
by Stanford to be responsible for sexually assaulting me through
use of force.

Stanford did not expel the man who raped me. They suspended him
effective 2014 Summer quarter so that he could finish his classes
and walk at graduation. They also moved him out of Stanford
housing, required that he complete community service, and
required that he complete a sexual assault awareness program
before receiving his degree or coming back to Stanford for grad
school.

What this amounts to:

After his suspension (gap year) is complete, Stanford invites my
rapist back to campus for grad school (where he has already been
accepted) as long as he agrees to do community service and
complete a sexual assault awareness course. Should he change his
mind and decide to go to grad school elsewhere, he can choose to
walk away from Stanford with no significant undergraduate
consequences for forcibly assaulting me.

Stanford Strategic Communications Senior Director Brad
Hayward sent the following statement to Business
Insider:

Stanford cannot discuss a specific student's case or comment on a
pending matter.

We regret any circumstance in which a student believes a process
here at Stanford has not met their expectations. We take very
seriously the pain and trauma that are generated by sexual
assault. We have strengthened our programs in the area of sexual
assault response and prevention over the last several years,
seeking to provide support to individuals in crisis, encourage
reporting, ensure fair and thorough disciplinary processes, and
educate the community to prevent future incidents. But we are
always looking to improve what we do, and we genuinely welcome
input from students on how we can do better.

Stanford absolutely must be a safe and respectful environment for
all students to pursue their education. The University has just
hired a new Title IX Coordinator to coordinate activities and
help identify areas for improvement. She will be gathering input
from across the Stanford community and recommending additional
things for us to be doing. The feedback being provided by
students now will help inform that process.

Expulsion currently is one of a range of potential outcomes of
the disciplinary process for cases of sexual assault at Stanford,
and we are discussing the option of imposing it as the
presumptive outcome when there is a finding of forcible sexual
assault. We look forward to discussing this possibility further
with students and others.

The rally's student organizers also released a statement
Thursday, published below:

Stanford students have organized a rally led by Leah Francis, a
student who wrote a letter addressing the Stanford community
Tuesday night about her experiences with reporting and pursuing a
case of forcible sexual assault against her. Leah's story is not
rare — and students will be joining on Thursday at noon to demand
administrators take action. Oftentimes, an assailant has to leave
campus temporarily and then is able to come back.

Five months ago, Leah was forcibly raped by another Stanford
student. She reported the sexual assault at the beginning of
Winter quarter and then she proceeded to go through the ARP
(Alternate Review Process). Months later, the student who raped
Leah was found by Stanford to be responsible for sexually
assaulting her through use of force. Stanford did not expel the
man who raped Leah. They suspended him effective 2014 Summer
quarter so that he could finish his classes and receive his
degree. Stanford also moved him out of Stanford housing, required
that he complete community service, and required that he complete
a sexual assault awareness program before receiving his degree or
coming back to Stanford for graduate school.

Students have planned a rally around Leah and have made the
following demands of the administration:

Mandatory expulsion for individuals found responsible of
sexual assault (following the example of Dartmouth, Amherst, and
Duke)

Better enforcement of sanctions for assailants to comply with
Title IX

Expanded mandatory education on definitions, consent and
bystander intervention for all undergraduates

Increase Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse Office for
Education and Outreach capacity by hiring more staff

Better resources for survivors throughout their chosen
process, including safety measures and academic support